Former TCU Horned Frogs longtime head football coach Gary Patterson has landed a new coaching gig.
Patterson is being hired by USC to serve as their new defensive coordinator. The Trojans needed a new DC after D’Anton Lynn left to take the Penn State defensive coordinator job. They ended up with the 65-year-old Patterson, who has extensive coaching experience.
Patterson was the head coach at TCU from 2000-2021 and had tremendous success. His teams had 11 double-digit win seasons, and Patterson was a two-time AP Coach of the Year winner. He is also a member of the College Football Hall of Fame.
Prior to becoming the head coach at TCU, Patterson was a defensive coach at TCU and elsewhere.
The hiring of Patterson might turn out to be a good one for USC. The Trojans went 9-4 last season, including a 7-2 mark in Big Ten play. They averaged 35.8 points per game on offense (13th of 136 teams), but they allowed 23.0 points per game, which was 51st out of 136 teams.
Defense has typically been a weakness for Lincoln Riley’s teams, and they’re hoping Patterson will be able to address that. Here are some of Patterson’s former players talking about the coach and what makes him great:
Former TCU HC Gary Patterson is a serious candidate for USC’s Defensive Coordinator job as he already had an interview last week with USC.
— Trojan Football ✌️ ᶠᵃⁿ (@TrojanFBx) January 14, 2026
Coach Patterson is a legit contender for the job: Here’s a video of the man that created the 4-2-5 defense. As former players describe him… pic.twitter.com/dhvukbzYmU
